Shah Rukh Khan on rejecting DDLJ four times: 'I thought I was too old to be a romantic hero' [Throwback]

One of the most famous actors in the world, Shah Rukh Khan has given many incredible hits in his long and illustrious Bollywood career.

'King Khan' worked under the banner of Yash Raj Films on many occasions and together they carved out several blockbuster films like Dil To Pagal Hai, Mohabbatein, Veer Zara, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, etc.

Each movie was a treat to watch for the fans, but the most legendary movie of the previous decade was 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'. Shah Rukh earned the moniker of 'King of Romance' with his spectacular performance in DDLJ and made 'Raj' a household name.

However, Shah Rukh was initially sceptical about doing the film, when it was offered to him, in the first place. 

According to reports, the 54-year-old had refused to play Raj's role in DDLJ, moreover, he turned down the offer four times.

What made Shah Rukh reject DDLJ?

"I never wanted to do a romantic role. Because by the time I joined films I was 26. Normally romantic films meant that you started off from a college and then you work your way up into romance and then run away with a girl, or committed suicide with a girl. I thought I was too old to be a romantic hero," SRK was quoted as saying by Scoopwhoop, in a documentary.

Shah Rukh Khan further revealed the reason why he turned down DDLJ, as he was ruling the industry with his negative roles in films like 'Darr' and 'Baazigar'. Also according to him negative roles was the reason behind his growth and success in Bollywood.

As a result, the superstar was keen to focus on taking negative roles only. Hence, Shah Rukh turned down the offer, when Aditya Chopra approached him for Raj's role. And as a result, Aditya decided to offer the role to Saif Ali Khan instead, but his father Yash Chopra wanted to convince King Khan. 

How Yash Chopra's advice changed SRK's career forever!

Yash Chopra personally visited Shah Rukh and told him, "You must take up romantic roles on the big screens if you want to survive in the industry." 

This million-dollar advice changed everything for Shah Rukh as 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' became one of the biggest turning points in his career.

The movie had released in 1995 and continues to be among the favourite of the masses even after 25 years of release.

DDLJ wasn't the success story of just Shah Rukh and Kajol, rather, it gave a platform to filmmaker Karan Johar, choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan, fashion designer Manish Malhotra to start their individual careers. The rest, as they say, is history!